


So Big, So Small

by alltheglowingeyes



Series: PJO/HoO/ToA One Shots [10]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Bonding, Gen, Grief/Mourning, I'm Bad At Summaries, Mother-Son Relationship, Post-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), Pre-The Heroes of Olympus, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26016646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheglowingeyes/pseuds/alltheglowingeyes
Summary: Will calls his mom after the Battle of Manhattan.
Relationships: Naomi Solace & Will Solace
Series: PJO/HoO/ToA One Shots [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861492
Comments: 9
Kudos: 99





	So Big, So Small

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short story I wrote yesterday at like two in the morning because my sleep schedule is non-existent lol.
> 
> You might recognize the title from DEH. I love musical theatre, and I just felt like the song kinda fit the energy of the story.
> 
> This story is also posted on fanfiction.net under the same username.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

Naomi Solace always knew there was something special about her son.

Even before she realized who his father is, she could tell he was just, well, _different_ . It was never a bad different though. It was the type of different that meant the myriad of freckles he was born with glowed like stars when he was happy, or the type of different that meant at age six he would spend hours pouring over different human body system diagrams, laughing with glee when he committed something to memory. She loved him more than anything, for all the quirks that made him different. She lost a lot when she decided to keep Will after finding out she was pregnant: her parents, her siblings for a while, her reputation in the small town she was born and raised in, and almost her career. But she didn’t care. Because everyday when she would wake up and see those brilliant blue eyes that seemed like reflections of the sky stare back at her, or even when Will would simply say _Mama_ , her heart swelled with pride and love.

That’s why it broke her heart to have to send him to Camp Half-Blood. He was so young, just barely seven, when Apollo visited her. He never had before, not since he knocked her up, so she knew it had to be important.

The sun god told her about Will and what his godly blood meant for his future. She had always known that having a god as his father would most likely make his life stray from the ordinary, but Apollo explained it was more than that. He was a demigod, and because of that he was going to be the target of monsters for the rest of his life. 

Monsters typically started coming around demigods at age ten or so, but Will was special. He had inherited Apollo’s rare gifts of healing, powers that mirrored that of Asclepius when he was a demigod. He was destined for great things, to be a hero and to save countless lives, but the cost of it was his childhood innocence. Apollo told her to send him to Camp Half-Blood, a place in New York where they train kids like Will to survive. There, he would be safe and the monsters couldn’t get him. 

Naomi wanted to throw a tantrum over this; this was her baby boy, the ray of sunshine in her life who she sacrificed so much more, and now she had to lose him? It wasn’t fair, not in the slightest, but she came to terms with the hand the two of them had been dealt and bid her only son a tearful goodbye.

Will stayed at Camp for two years as a full-time camper; it wasn’t safe enough for him to come home yet and be able to defend himself. They talked whenever they could, be it video calling, letters, and even the occasional mind-boggling Iris Message. But when he was finally able to come home at age ten, Naomi cried tears of joy.

The two spent a blissful three weeks in their small apartment in Austin, Texas, just enjoying their time together. However, after a nasty attack from a few dracanae at an IKEA (a story for another day), Will made the decision to go back to Camp full-time.

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Mom,” he told her as he threw extra clothes into his duffel bag. “I can’t do that to you.”

So once again, she bid him farewell. Her heart felt like it was shattering over and over again as he made his way into the airport check-in. She did her best, over the next few years, to find some other things to fill her time. Suddenly, outside of communications with Will, she became busy with an album release and subsequent touring, as she revamped her music career. It helped to keep her mind off of her baby boy, but it didn’t ever take away from the excitement that bubbled in her chest as she waited for their monthly video call. The August after he turned fourteen was no exception.

She sat on her tour bus, staring at the laptop screen in front of her. Today was the day they were going to _finally_ call. Will said he had been busy before; he wouldn’t give any specifics as to what was taking up his time. Naomi was more anxious than usual however, as she had a feeling in her gut that something was going on, something that Will wasn’t telling her about. She just wanted to see his face, to confirm that she was being irrational. However, as soon as the call connected, she received confirmation of the opposite.

Will’s whole presence was already off upon first glance. He normally radiated a sort of brightness and light, but for some reason he seemed much more _drained_. His blonde curls and blue eyes were duller than normal, and despite his deep natural tan, his face was paler than normal with prominent dark bags under his eyes. He was wearing a navy blue hoodie from Naomi’s tour which she had sent to him a few months prior and denim shorts. 

She edged forward in her seat. “Hey sweetheart. it’s been a minute,” she stated softly, scanning Will’s face for any sort of hints as to what could be bothering him so much, but her search came up empty.

Her son gave her a tired smile, “Hi Mom. I’ve missed you,” he said quietly. His voice was a little hoarse as he spoke, and she couldn’t hide the frown that took her face over.

“Sweetie, are you coming down with something? You don’t look too good,” she asked hesitantly. “You look like you could use a lie down. We could reschedule if you need some time to rest.”

Will shook his head, shooting her a clearly forced smile. “No, no, I’m fine, honestly. Now, how’s the tour been? Anything funny happened recently?”

Naomi chewed her lip. She had a lot to share with her son, stories that she knew he would enjoy, but she also knew that this was just a diversion tactic. “Will, honey, _please_. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Will stared back at Naomi for a solid ten seconds, a glazed and empty look in his eyes as he seemed to look right past her. Then, he seemed to snap back to reality and his eyes filled with tears.

“I-I haven’t been honest, Mom. Camp- it’s... this past month has just been so _bad_ and I was so scared and…” His words trailed off as he clasped a hand over his mouth, tears now openly flowing down his face. Naomi wanted so desperately to step through the screen and hold her baby boy, but it was impossible. 

Some of what he said scared her, however. She remembered him mentioning during his first year or so at Camp that some kids weren’t too friendly. Adding weapons to the mix, well, she didn’t want to think of what could have happened. “What’s wrong? Is someone being mean to you? Are you- did you get hurt?”

Will slumped back in his seat, shaking his head as he took a few deep breaths. “I- the past few months, I haven’t got to call. I told you I was busy, right?” Naomi nodded, pursing her lips as Will took another shaky breath. “I wasn’t- I didn’t tell you what was happening, but there was a _war_ , Mama. A whole damn war. The whole situation in Manhattan, with all the damage over the past few weeks? That was us fighting an actual Titan. And we won, but…” Another sob escaped his lips, as he did his best to stifle his crying. “We started with twelve Apollo kids. We ended with five. I watched them die, and I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t save _Michael_ , Mama. I let him die, and it’s all my fault.”

At this point, Will stopped talking, hunching over and crying. Each sniffle and sob that he let out felt like a stab to Naomi’s heart. She knew that the life of a demigod came with incredible pain and loss; Will had told her about Lee Fletcher’s passing a few months prior. He hadn’t specified what had happened, but now she wondered if his death had to do with this war. She had no idea about any of this, and vaguely wondered how Will managed to keep this so secret from her, how she never noticed. But she did remember that Will talked a lot more about Michael after Lee’s death. The three half-siblings had been close since Will arrived at Camp; in fact, she remembered speaking to both of the older boys once in a while in the past. 

“I’m sorry, baby. I-I’m sorry I didn’t notice what was happening,” she murmured, unable to figure out what to say.

Will shook his head, his gaze averted to his lap. “Not your fault. Didn’t want to tell you, but… During the battle I thought I might die, Mama. I almost died without telling you anything, without even calling you,” he whimpered.

Naomi bit her lip, “You’re alive, sweetie, and that’s what counts. And as for what happened with your siblings… It’s not your fault, Will, you hear me? You’re so young, and you’ve seen more than most adults will ever deal with in their entire lives. But what happened to them will _never_ be on your shoulders, got it?”

Will fidgeted with fingers, glancing up briefly, before turning his attention back to his lap. “I could have saved them. I _should_ have saved them. Dad gave me these powers, and my healing is all I have, but when I needed them most it didn’t work,” he spat bitterly.

“Will, you know before you came to Camp, your father spoke to me. He told me how immensely powerful you are and will be, but he also warned me: you will never be able to save everyone. It’s how the world works. The best doctors wouldn’t be able to save everyone; _hell_ , the best doctors wouldn’t have to deal with half of what you have gone through. I know it will take some time to accept, but it’s not your fault. You did everything you could do, and I want you to know how proud I am of you and how much you have grown, no matter what.”

Will sniffled, rubbing his nose. His eyes and nose were red from crying, but his tears seemed to have dried off; either he cried himself out or he was feeling better, and Naomi prayed it was the latter. “Thanks, Mom… I’m sorry for- for ruining the call. And for not telling you sooner.”

She shook her head, clicking her tongue. “William Andrew Solace, you best not be apologizing for _anything_ to me, you hear me? I wish you had told me sooner, but you’re alive now, and I’m more than happy to listen and support you whenever you need. You are _not_ ruining this call, at all.”

Will gave her a smile. It was small, but genuine, which she appreciated. “Busting out the full name, huh?”

She grinned back. “I’m your mother, I gave you the name, I can use it whenever I want.”

Will laughed softly, “Yeah, yeah. Just… I was wondering, when you get home from tour, could I come home for a week or so? I just- I need to hug you,” he mumbled, grinning sheepishly.

“I’d love that, but I’ll do you one better. I have a show in New York in two weeks or so. When I’m in the area, let’s take a few days to catch up, hm? I’m sure I can work something out with Chiron about us taking a quick vacation.”

Will’s eyes, for the first time since their conversation started, lit up. “Really? Gods, yes!”

Naomi chuckled as Will began listing off things they could do together. She knew that this energy and light wasn’t permanent; the deaths of his half-siblings would weigh on his heart for the rest of his life. But even if she could only provide comfort through video calls and brief trips, she would give him a hundred percent of her love and support for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked the story! Leave me any feedback you have, if you want. :)
> 
> You can follow me on my tumblr @alltheglowingeyess for updates on multichapter fics/a compiled list of my one-shots/random Riordanverse shit, or to just say hi. :)


End file.
